Monthly Archives: January 2013

A large number of Thai citizens apply for an Australian Partner visa every year. A Partner visa is a temporary leading to permanent visa that is in the class of family visas. A Thai citizen can apply for a Partner visa on the basis of being either married to or in a de facto relationship with an Australian citizen or permanent resident. The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) strictly defines what is classed as a de facto relationship.

I am often asked whether it is more difficult to apply for a Partner visa being a Thai citizen than, for example, an American citizen. It is not an easy question to answer because there is a lot involved in making an application for a Partner visa and some of it involves more general aspects such as country of origin/country of passport but it is also largely concerned with the specific circumstances of the “Applicant” themselves. Furthermore, the role of the “Sponsor” (the Australian citizen or permanent resident) is very important in the Australian Partner visa application process.

One of the concerns in relation to the Partner visa is English language skills of the Applicant as English is the main language spoken in Australia. Obviously this is different in Thailand where the main language is Thai when compared with a citizen of the United Kingdom where the main language spoken is also English. In this context the English language barrier can make things more difficult for a Thai citizen than a citizen from an English speaking country.

Many of the other important criteria relate to the Applicant themselves rather than what country they are from. For example, what is the character of the Applicant? What is their medical condition like? What are their finances like? What is their visa history like? Do they have a history of breaching conditions on their previous visas or did they abide by all the conditions?

The individual situation of the Sponsor is also important. If the Applicant does not have much money the Sponsor can provide financial support for the Applicant. If children are involved in the migration of the Applicant special checks need to be made of the Sponsor to make sure he or she does not have any specific criminal record with regard to the abuse children.

So long as the Applicant and Sponsor for an Australian Partner visa meet the criteria for the grant of a visa they will be granted the visa regardless of the country of the Applicant’s passport. Certainly the language and culture of Thailand is different to that in Australia but these differences in themselves should not necessarily be a stumbling block to obtaining an Australian Partner visa.